Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this story from the start. I hope you enjoy this far from short epilogue; I think it may be the longest chapter yet.
Enjoy!
Thanks as always to Sairs J for being my second set of eyes.
Andy always enjoyed lunch and a visit with her dad, and lately they had been meeting at least once sometimes twice a week. She definitely had her hands full these days and he insisted on helping; he hadn't always been there for her growing up and he was going to make damn sure he didn't let her down now.
Sam hadn't been able to join them today, but was supposed to pick Andy up. She glanced at her watch as she sat on the stoop of her Dad's building. Tommy had a meeting to get to and she told him to just go. He had been sober just over two years and she was not going to get in the way of that; she would be fine on her own for awhile. He told her she could wait inside, but she insisted that it was too nice to be cooped up in an apartment.
She looked at her watch again; Sam was running late and she wondered if she should text him and start walking.
She had missed Sam today; instead of meeting with them like he usually did, he had a meeting with Guns and Gangs. It seemed like so long ago when the thought of that alone would have scared her, actually terrified her, but it didn't worry her anymore. They had an understanding, and Sam always kept her in the loop.
This time it was court trials coming up and they needed Sam's input. She shook her head; how do you recall details that happened so long ago? 'Good notes' Sam had always told her. And he was right; that was the way the system worked and so you had to make the best of it. With this case though, she didn't need notes to remember what had happened.
It felt like it had been forever but they were finally trying the gang from that bust when she and Sam first got together.
Sam himself wasn't going to have to go to court; in fact, as far as they knew no one ever even found out that he was a cop. So his official role was to simply review the reports and notes with Jennings as the detective prepared to testify.
Andy smiled. His unofficial role…Sam had spoken to the Crown on Vic's behalf. He had told Andy how Vic wanted out and how out of any of them, Vic was the one who would make the most out of a second chance and Sam wanted to give that to him. He lobbied for the minimum sentence and encouraged the prosecution to offer Vic a deal: an even further reduced sentence for signed testimony against the Boss.
Vic's case never even went to court. He took the chance and ran with it, especially after he heard that an officer went to bat for him. Sam often wondered if Vic suspected it was him, but never got the chance to find out. Vic was already out west after being released last month. Andy hoped Sam was right and that Vic would turn his life around.
She also hoped that Sam was still in a good mood when he picked her up that afternoon because they had been warned; Boyd would be going over everything with them as well.
Sam still held a grudge when it came to Boyd. He did little more than tolerate the detective, still holding him responsible for everything that happened to Andy that night.
The bruises had long since faded from her wrists where she had been bound in the van. Her anger at Boyd had faded as well, but what hadn't faded were her feelings for Sam. In complete contrast, her love for him had only deepened.
They actually hadn't seen much of Boyd in the last two years since he, as Oliver so aptly put it, 'went back to his own kind'. Apparently he fit right in with the 'cheating bitches' at Twenty-Seven.
They had caught glimpses of him at scenes that overlapped with Twenty-Seven, but both sides generally found an excuse to keep their distance. The only time they'd been forced to endure his presence was at Jo and Luke's reception party after the two had eloped.
And unfortunately, avoiding Boyd in the confined quarters of the Penny wasn't as easy.
Flashback
Sam hadn't even wanted to go; Luke still wasn't his favorite person either, but Andy talked him into it; 'everyone was going'. In hind sight, she probably should have sent her regrets and begged off, but she thought it would be fun. And it was…for awhile.
It started off harmless enough with Boyd sticking to one side of the bar with his co-workers at Twenty-Seven and Sam and Andy mingling with Fifteen's Finest on the other side. But as the liquor flowed, the lines blurred and Sam and Oliver ended up at the bar reminiscing with a couple of guys they knew from the academy.
Andy had been dancing with the other rookies when she heard Sam laughing. It's not like it was unheard of, in fact since he had started dating Andy the joke around the barn was that Sam Swarek had lightened up…a lot. Even still a belly laugh was something and it made her smile; she loved his laugh.
Unfortunately it also brought him square into Boyd's sights and he didn't appear to like the idea that Sam was happy.
Boyd had actually been giving them the evil eye most of the night; he blamed them for his demotion. Not only had he been removed from Guns and Gangs, but he was sent to join the ranks at Twenty-Seven and not even as a senior detective. Sam thought he should have been thankful that he got to keep his title of detective, but he wasn't. There had been talk about him applying for any and all openings with GNG but Jennings always found someone he thought better qualified.
Boyd must have seen the writing on the wall because next thing they had heard he had his sights set on Jo's job and had done everything he could to encourage her and Luke thinking she might transfer or get pregnant, anything so that he could take over. As usual, as long as he got what he wanted, he didn't care how he went about it.
Jo wasn't stupid so she knew what he was up to, but she just took it all in stride. Disrupting her reception though was probably pushing it.
Andy didn't want him to ruin this day for Jo and Luke so she was off and running before the other rookies even stopped dancing. Thankfully she wasn't the only one that saw Boyd coming and Jerry and a couple of other detectives got to him before he could get to Sam. Sam saw him though and stood to meet him; there was no way he was going to back down from Boyd. In fact, he would have welcomed a chance to let him have it; he had told Traci more than once that he was jealous that she was the one that threw the punch that fateful night.
That night though, there would be no more punches thrown. The detectives escorted Boyd to his car and Andy enticed Sam to his truck with promises of finding a better use for those hands. He didn't take much convincing.
End Flashback
Andy's phone beeped, breaking her out of her reverie. It was a text from Sam letting her know that he and Jennings just finished up. He promised he would get there as soon as he could and he let her know that Jennings said hi; she could almost picture his grin at that. Jennings was more than likely teasing Sam about her.
Since that op two years ago, they had actually gotten to know Jennings quite well and Sam respected the man way more than he had Boyd. The feeling was mutual; in fact any time a position opened up in Guns and Gangs, Jennings offered it to Sam first. He always offered it in passing, dangling it in front of Sam, knowing full well he was going to turn it down. Still, he put it out there each and every time on the off chance he might change his mind. Sam usually just rolled his eyes and clapped him on the back giving him a "Sorry man, but you can't beat the benefits I got staying home."
Jennings would just laugh and say, "Tell Andy I said hi."
Jennings wasn't ready to completely take no for an answer though. So if he couldn't get Sam to transfer, he did the next best thing…offered him small short term stints that were never more than a month. He got to put the best on the case and Sam still got to do what he loved…with the woman he loved.
The two of them ended up to be Jennings go-to couple whenever they needed one and they never let him down…well almost never.
Andy laughed to herself as she recalled that fiasco.
They actually needed two couples for the operation; their target was a family run business and so they needed to present themselves as a tight knit family too. The cover was to be a man and his nephew fairly close in age and supposedly more like brothers. Each man was married with the elder having taken in the nephew when his father died. Sam and Andy were called in but because of their age difference, they wanted Andy to be with the nephew and they brought in another older woman to act as Sam's wife. Neither Sam nor Andy liked the idea but Jennings talked them into it.
They had managed to infiltrate the business but the father didn't like Sam and refused to bring him further into the company; he said he couldn't trust him. When Sam asked why, he said because if he wasn't loyal to his own flesh and blood, how could he expect Sam to be loyal to him and his family. Sam argued that he had cared for his nephew for many years and even allowed him and his wife to live with them when they lost their jobs. The man scoffed saying the only reason he did that was because Sam was in love with his nephew's wife and wanted her close to him. To say the least, Sam was shocked.
His ego had taken a bit of a hit when he had to report it to their handler that night; especially when he found out that Andy's feelings hadn't been quite so transparent. His ego didn't have to suffer long though, because even though the team wasn't impressed, Andy's reaction more than made up for their disappointment. She spent the rest of the night showing him just how happy she was with his 'under cover' skills.
In the end, it actually worked out in their favor because the patriarch made the officer posing as Sam's nephew an offer that would get him out from under his uncle's thumb and they simply had him play up the fact that he had suspected something between his uncle and his wife all along. Within a week of that, the bust was made.
But Jennings never suggested that again; from then on, Sam and Andy always went in together as a couple.
Andy was still smiling to herself over the memory when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
She looked up thinking that Sam had caught her daydreaming. Great. Now he would either be teasing her relentlessly about it or going on and on about how she shouldn't let people sneak up on her.
"Andy?"
But it wasn't Sam.
"Terri. Hi."
They had only seen each other in passing over the last couple of years, with only a few minutes to talk each time. That meant after pleasantries, they really hadn't gotten to anything interesting.
Terri sat down beside Andy on the stoop, thankful for the chance to finally catch up. Apparently Terri's wedding had been fantastic as was the honeymoon and they were now talking about starting a family.
"What about you? You finally find Mr. Right?" Terri started to laugh.
"Actually the last time we really talked was at my bachelorette party and you were trying to forget the boyfriend you broke up with. Oh….oh…the hottie…from the club! Did you give him your real number? Did you ever see him again? That guy was smokin' for sure but I never…I never called you. Do you know what I found out later from my husband, well fiancé I guess then…he told me the guy was probably part of a gang. Oh shit, I was going to call you and warn you…you didn't see him again did you?"
Andy laughed. "Actually…"
Honk! Honk!
Andy's explanation was stopped in its track by the blaring of a horn from the other side of the street and both girls looked up. Andy flashed Sam a huge smile as she held up her hand signaling for him to wait just a minute.
Andy chuckled at the look on Terri's face. Her mouth was wide open as she gaped from Sam to Andy and back again. "Is that…is he…did you…you mean…that was two years ago…" Her voice dropped to a whisper as if she was worried he might hear her. "Are you sure he isn't…"
Terri wasn't making any sense. Andy placed her hand on Terri's arm in an attempt to calm her down.
Terri took a deep breath, the worry apparent on her face. "Are you and he…."
Before she had a chance to go off again, Andy responded. "Yes, we are, but it's not what you think; Sam's a cop too he was undercover at the time…"
Terri was shocked. "Did you know him then? How did you find out?"
Andy chuckled. "Listen, I have to go; Sam and I have a couple of appointments to make this afternoon, but I'm having a party on Saturday at the Black Penny; you have to come."
"It's kind of short notice."
"Hey, I dropped everything to come to your bachelorette party."
Terri's eyes dropped immediately to Andy's hand and yanked her arm up bringing Andy's along with it. Yep, there was definitely a rock there, and it could only mean one thing. "And you'll tell me everything then?"
"I promise." Andy assured her.
"I'll hold you to that!" She swore as Andy got up to cross the street to Sam's truck.
Andy turned. "We'll be there at eight o'clock."
Terri was still in shock and staring at Sam as Andy jogged around to the passenger side of the truck; Terri could tell he was a little unnerved by the attention so she gave him what she hoped was a reassuring wave.
He furrowed his brow but waved awkwardly back before his eyes widened a little. As they pulled away, she heard him as he turned to Andy. "Hey, wasn't she the girl you were with…"
Terri laughed; now she couldn't wait for Saturday. She had to hear the whole story; she only hoped her husband didn't have anything already planned.
The rest of the week passed in a blur between shifts, planning for both the bachelor and bachelorette parties, and planning the upcoming wedding which was the following weekend. Andy had told Sam she wasn't taking any chances; the parties were going to be a week ahead. She wanted everyone in fine form for the wedding, especially Sam; she knew his friends and was more than a little worried about what they might pull.
She needn't have worried.
It was now Saturday night and the guys were all over at Jerry and Traci's playing poker. Oliver and Jerry had set up a number of poker tables and the plan was to simply play and drink for most of the night.
"Are you kidding me?" Dov complained after he lost all of his chips. It was a little after ten and he had already had enough. "This is a bachelor party! Swarek's bachelor party! It's supposed to be bad-ass! I can't believe you didn't even get strippers. Shaw you really suck at…"
"Hey!" Oliver interrupted. "We're not all horny teenagers here. Most of us have actually been in committed relationships for awhile and…"
"And your wife won't LET you." Dov finished for him.
"And I was going to say…and we respect that."
Dov just looked at him blankly.
"Fine…my wife won't let me, but you've only met her a few times when she's on her best behavior. Trust me." Oliver looked over to his two best friends. "Would you want to get on her bad side?"
Jerry and Sam had known Zoe for years and were vehemently shaking their heads. Zoe was amazing and they loved her to death, but that woman could hold a grudge with the best of them.
"Come on! There's gotta be a loop hole."
"And that my friend is why you are not yet husband material. There is no such thing as a loophole in marriage. And even if there was, the smart ones don't take advantage of it. If the retirement of my very first TO doesn't cut it, a party for Sam Swarek won't even come close."
"Hey!" Sam disputed. "Zoe loves me."
"Love only gets you so far, brother."
"But she forgave you." Dov reasoned, clearly not getting the point.
"Yeah…after a week, but the damage was already done. I'm pretty sure I'm still on probation and Sammy's couch just about killed my back. I went to the chiropractor for a month straight after that. And I can't even imagine sleeping on it now."
"What do you mean?"
"Sammy wasn't with McNally then. I can only guess what happens on that couch now that McNally is there all the time." Oliver forced a shudder. "I wouldn't chance it. Besides, it's not like I don't see enough of him and McNally all over each other at the station. You really think I want a front row seat for that. Yeah…no thanks."
Jerry was laughing and Sam was smirking. He wasn't going to deny it; that couch had seen a lot of action in the last two years and held a lot of fond memories none of which he was ashamed of.
"I'd let you stay on my couch." Dov offered.
Jerry laughed. "Yeah, you won't have to worry about too much action on that couch, unless you count video games."
"Hey, I have a girlfriend." Dov defended.
"And she's okay with you hitting the strippers?" Oliver asked skeptically.
"Well, if she gets to at Andy's party, then why shouldn't I?"
Sam's head snapped up. "What?"
Oliver and Jerry each placed a hand on their friend's shoulder in what was meant to be a comforting gesture.
"I take it you guys didn't have the stripper discussion?" Oliver inquired. Amateur.
"I didn't think we had to." Sam hissed through his teeth.
Chris' laugh was cut short by Sam's glower. "What are you laughing at? Isn't your girlfriend there too?"
"Traci was planning it and Gail was helping her. You seriously didn't think you had to?"
Sam turned his glare on Jerry; the main culprit was his girlfriend. Jerry held up his hands in surrender. "I don't tell her what to do."
"It doesn't bother you?"
"I try not to think about it. Besides, she comes home to me every night."
"That's what I told Zoe."
"Listen, Sammy." Jerry continued, ignoring Oliver's interruption. "McNally loves you; she's marrying you. Let her have one night of fun before the big day."
"She gets plenty of fun, thank you very much." Sam defended; he didn't need to look at anyone else and he didn't think she did either. "Did you know there were going to be strippers?" He asked Jerry accusingly.
"Hey Traci wouldn't tell me anything. I'm actually surprised she told Epstein."
Dov looked a little sheepish. "Well, she didn't exactly tell me…"
Sam shook his head. "Why do I even listen to you? You don't even know…"
"Listen. I was waiting for the girls outside the locker room the other day and well the door didn't quite close properly when Noelle left so I may have overheard something."
Oliver snickered, "That door tends to do that when there's a foot stuck it."
"That's not the point."
"Fine." Sam conceded. "What did you hear?"
"When Noelle left, she told me that they were running late and to go ahead without them. When I asked why, she said important bachelorette business. That might have been when my foot got stuck. I…uh…may have heard what they were planning."
"And you're sure they were talking about strippers?" Sam wondered.
"Absolutely. I heard everything."
Flashback as retold by Dov
"I really don't want to Trace."
"Come on; it'll be fun. Everyone will love it."
Andy let out a loud breath. "Okay…dancing is fine, but clothes stay on…all of them."
Traci just laughed. "Hey, where's the fun in that?"
"Traci!"
"Come on, Andy; I make no guarantees. I can make sure the girls know your preference, but you're going to have a room full of women and lots of booze; they tend to lose their inhibitions a little."
"Why can't we just sing karaoke?"
"Because you won't sing."
"Well I don't plan on participating in this either."
"Come on Andy; live a little. Just have fun with it, enjoy it. It'll make for good watching guaranteed."
"Do you really think Liam will even let you bring them in there?
"I already talked to Liam. He said as long as he doesn't have to do anything with them he's fine." Traci laughed. "He said there was no way he was going to fight a bunch of drunk women who wanted to take them home at the end of the night so we're on our own with that too. Oh…and there can be no permanent reminders of them left behind at the bar."
End Flashback
All the men cringed at the last comment; they didn't want to even imagine what she meant by that.
"That was when Gail came up and blew my cover." Dov explained.
Sam was quiet. He knew Andy loved him and he probably shouldn't be upset but she didn't even ask if he was going to have strippers. Didn't forbid him to have them or anything. Was it because she didn't want him to forbid her?
Sam was a little disappointed; he didn't need strippers and he hoped she hadn't either. But if Epstein was right it wasn't even her idea; in fact, she didn't really sound like she was into it at all. But he also knew what could happen if things got out of hand; guys like that were used to willing participants and they weren't afraid to get too close. And Andy was hot…
The men watched as Sam's imagination ran away with him. They were concerned when his jaw started to clench, but it still caught them off guard when Sam jumped to his feet.
"Come on Sammy." Jerry warned. "Don't do something you're going to regret."
"I don't like it; those guys don't know boundaries. What if it gets out of hand?"
"They're all cops, Sammy. They can handle themselves."
"Not if they're drunk. I don't have to tell you what happens when Nash and McNally hit the wine."
"Noelle will keep them in line." Frank assured Sam. "She won't even be drinking." Noelle was just pregnant with their second child so he was sure she was prepared to be the voice of reason.
Sam was shaking his head. It wasn't good enough for him. A sober, pregnant Noelle was no match for the dynamic, drunken duo of Nash and McNally.
"Give 'em a call." Chris suggested with a shrug of his shoulders.
"They're not going to answer." Sam knew that for a fact; Traci had actually warned him earlier in the week to mind his own business. Now he knew why.
Dov grabbed his phone. "I'll just call Liam."
The girls had rented out the Penny and as bartender, Liam was the only man allowed in there. It was him and a couple of female servers.
"Put it on speaker." Sam ordered.
"Black Penny."
"Liam?"
"Epstein?"
"Yeah, I need to talk to Traci."
"She's busy. Hey aren't you supposed to be at Swarek's bachelor party?"
"Yeah, it's a bust."
Oliver, Jerry and Sam all rolled their eyes; they were fine with Poker Night.
Dov ignored them. "I've already lost all my money and Shaw was in charge so yeah, no strippers."
It was quite loud in the Penny so Liam didn't realize he was on speaker. "Why would Swarek need strippers? Have you seen…"
Liam stopped cold when he heard someone clear their throat and growl into the mike. "Put McNally on the phone."
Liam gulped; he hadn't realized that Sam was listening too. He wasn't interested in Andy but he wasn't blind either.
"Sorry, Swarek…I…"
"Just get McNally."
In truth, Traci had arranged for lessons on the stripper pole; she told Andy that you never know when a skill like that might come in handy. Andy had rolled her eyes and protested, but in the end, they brought in two portable poles and a couple of instructors and most of the ladies had had a blast giving it a try.
Andy though, wasn't one of them. It wasn't that she wasn't having fun; she was. She had visited with a lot of ladies, including Terri, who did show up and finally got the low down on Sam. And Andy did enjoy watching the other ladies try, but she had so far refused to get on one herself.
Traci and Gail had been feeding her shots hoping to break down her defenses. Gail even threw down a challenge thinking that Andy's competitive nature would take over, but she didn't bite. When she finally told them that there was a better chance of her singing karaoke than getting up there, they knew it was time for drastic measures.
Gail pretended to concede saying that Andy didn't have to if she didn't want to…"BU-UT, then you have to let me cuff you just like we did on that night before our first day as rookies. Prove to me you can get out and you're home free."
Andy grinned. Piece of cake.
She held out her hands as she quirked her head and lifted a brow. Gail saw it for what it was – 'bring it on'.
Gail slapped the first cuff on Andy's wrist and Andy immediately started to pivot to help Gail out, expecting her to cuff her behind her back. Gail and Traci spun her so quickly though that she almost lost her balance and didn't realize how close they were to the poles. Before she knew it, her so-called friends had cuffed her to one of them.
"What the hell?" She growled.
The room had immediately gone quiet as everyone was watching and waiting to see what Andy was going to do.
Noelle, Sarah and Zoe were sitting together and they exchanged a look of chagrin, each wondering when and if they should step in.
The guys on the phone had heard the room quiet right down too. "What's going on?" Sam asked.
Liam was chuckling. "Um…yeah…Nash and Peck are…I mean they want Andy to…she's…uh...a little tied up at the moment."
"What?" Sam practically yelled causing Liam to pull the receiver away from his ear.
"Take them off." Andy ordered.
"I can't hear you." Traci taunted.
"Put the music back on!" Gail yelled.
Someone turned it on and upped the volume a little as Traci cupped her hand to her ear urging Andy to speak up.
"Take them off!" Andy yelled a little louder.
Traci slinked up behind her friend and grabbed her hips, doing her best to gyrate against Andy and cause Andy to do the same to the pole. Andy shook her head and started to giggle. "Fine."
"Fine?"
"I'll do it."
Traci grinned victorious. "Go, Andy!" She cheered. "Take 'em off!"
All the girls whooped and hollered.
Sam…did not. But he had heard enough.
Liam was laughing when he finally got back on the phone. "You know I don't think…hello? Hello?"
Liam shrugged his shoulders figuring the guys had probably just given up.
Sam looked around at the guys; they knew that look.
"Road Trip!" Dov yelled, anxious for some excitement. "How many cabs do we need?"
"Uh-uh." Oliver tried, holding up his hand to stop Dov from making any calls. "Sammy we can't go over there. Nash and McNally…they aren't going to like it."
"Hey isn't your wife there too?" Dov inquired.
"She is." Oliver confirmed.
Dov just looked at him waiting for him to catch up. His eyes widened after a few seconds and he waved his hand at the rookie. "What are you waiting for? Let's roll."
"You smell that?" Dov asked.
Oliver furrowed his brow.
"Sweet redemption."
It didn't take long for the guys to make it to the Penny especially with Sam leading the charge.
He actually bolted from the front seat of the cab before it had even stopped. And he had the outer door open to the Penny before most of the guys had even exited the vehicles.
He yanked the inside door open and stopped cold at the sight before him. His jaw dropped; there was Andy strutting her stuff around the karaoke stage and what appeared to be a stripper pole.
He looked over at Liam whose head had snapped back away from the girls and over to the door as soon as he heard it open. The bartender was obviously concerned about Sam's reaction, but Sam didn't have time to worry about that right now. He'd deal with Liam at another time.
Sam knew immediately that they had made a mistake and he wanted to get out of there…fast. He didn't want the girls to catch him and even more so he didn't want the guys to see what Andy was doing.
Sam pivoted on his heel and pulled the door closed behind him running smack dab into Dov, Oliver and the rest of the men. "You were wrong Epstein. Let's get out of here." He ordered, pushing the men to the outside.
"What? There's no way I was wrong."
"Well, you were…so let's go."
The guys exchanged looks. There may not have been male strippers, but there was obviously something in there that Sam didn't want them to see and Dov for one was going to get a peek.
Before he had a chance to put up a fight though, the door swung open and out stepped Zoe, Noelle and Sarah.
Shit!
"What's the matter boys? Officer Shaw a little lacking in his party planning skills?" Noelle wondered.
"I'll say. Do you know that all…" Dov started before receiving an elbow to the stomach.
"Be nice." Zoe chastised her husband before continuing. "Why are you here? You were told that The Penny was off limits tonight."
"I know, but…well Sammy really missed McNally so…"
Sarah shook her head. "Well I'm sure Sammy here can suffer through one night on his own, right baby brother?"
"Absolutely!" Sam agreed. "We'll just be going now."
"No way!" Epstein argued. "I am not going all the way back over to Detective Barber's just to sit around and watch you guys play poker. Come on, ladies, please; we're already here." He practically begged.
"Sure, you can come in." Zoe agreed, which completely caught Noelle and Sarah off guard.
They looked at her in astonishment until she added the 'but'.
"BUT…" she paused. "If we agree to let you in, you have to agree to participate in all the planned activities."
"Done!" Dov agreed much to the chagrin of Sam and now Oliver who knew his wife had to be up to something. And judging by the size of the grins on both Noelle and Zoe's faces, it didn't bode well for him.
"I am not taking my clothes off." Oliver argued.
"Trust me, Oliver." Noelle agreed. "No one wants to see that."
Zoe just laughed. "So are you guys in or out?
"We're good." Sam answered. "Let's go boys."
"I'm with Sam!" Oliver and Frank both decided.
Unfortunately the rest of the guys were filled with a lot of liquid courage and as a result a slightly skewed judgment, and almost every other man said they were in.
"All or none, boys." Noelle challenged, which scared the veteran officers even more.
"Come on! We're already here."
The three holdouts exchanged a look before conceding with a nod; if push came to shove, they would find a way out of it.
"You walk through the door and you agree." They were reminded as Noelle ushered them all inside.
Almost everyone stopped short the minute they got in far enough to get a look at the so-called activities. Needless to say it was not what they were expecting.
Oliver's eyes widened. "Did you do that?" He asked the ladies with them.
"Of course." Zoe admitted proudly. "We were the first ones up there."
Both Oliver and Frank were speechless; they would have never guessed.
"You too?" Sam asked Sarah.
"I was first." Sarah confirmed, chuckling at her brother's astonishment.
"I've been to some of these before you know and it always helps if you have a plan." She explained. "I go up, just barely get started when Noelle comes up and tells me I'm doing it wrong."
"Then, when Noelle's been up there for just a minute," Zoe explained. "I go up there and tell her she's not doing it right."
"And as soon as Zoe gets up there," Noelle continued, "Sarah and I look around and find the girl who wants up there the most and encourage her to help 'that poor woman' out before she embarrasses herself."
"Works every time." Sarah bragged. "You've taken your turn and you don't have to worry about it for the rest of the night."
Frank and Oliver seemed to be mulling over their logic and trying to decide if they were going to have to employ it, when another group of ladies noticed them. "What are they doing here?" Someone yelled.
All the girls froze and looked up as someone killed the music.
"We told the boys they could stay." Noelle explained.
Her revelation was met with boos and disagreements until she held up her hand. "Let me finish. We told them they could stay…if…they agreed to participate."
Over the cheering, they heard Traci yell. "Who's up first?"
Andy though wasn't concerned with anyone else; her eyes were peeled on Sam as he made his way towards her. She started blabbering as soon as he got within earshot. "The girls made me do it…cuffed me to the pole 'til…"
Sam led Andy by the hand to the back hall. When he turned around, he had an unexpected grin on his face. "I'm not mad." Actually he was more than a little relieved.
"You're not?"
"No…but let's maybe lay off the pole for the rest of the night."
She caught something in his voice and figured out quickly that anger wasn't the emotion he was feeling. "You didn't like it." She purred, inching her body closer to him.
Sam chuckled uncomfortably. "Liking it was definitely not the problem. But how about you wait for a bit and show me those moves later at home."
Andy began to place kisses along Sam's jawline. "We can sneak out now if you like." She offered breathlessly.
Sam would have happily taken her up on her offer but…"I don't think Oliver and Jerry would ever let me live it down if I left my own bachelor party early."
"Even if I said I'd make it worth your while." She whispered into his ear.
Sam turned his head to give her a quick kiss before pulling back a little. "You can make it worth my while later."
Andy huffed, the chasteness of the kiss let her know that he wouldn't be changing his mind. "Fine." She acceded before furrowing her brow. "Why are you here anyway?
Sam looked away. "Um…uh…Epstein said you had strippers here."
"So?"
"Um…I…" Sam wasn't sure how to answer that without getting himself into trouble.
"What? You have a thing for male strippers?" She teased.
Sam turned back and looked at her through his lashes as if to say 'seriously?' but then he dropped his voice an octave and said, "You already know what I have a thing for."
Andy giggled, oh yes she did. "It was the first thing I told Traci."
"Wh…What?" Sam stuttered out. "You told Nash that…"
Andy laughed. "I told her that I didn't want strippers."
"Oh." Sam breathed out, completely relieved.
"Sure. I mean, why would I need them when I've got a guy who'll take it off for me whenever I want?" She replied cheekily.
"Whenever you want eh?" Sam challenged, dimples coming out in full force as he leaned in towards Andy.
"Well…if you don't count right now." She pouted in mock hurt.
Sam's grin widened; if she wasn't careful, he might just have to grant that wish.
He was just backing her up against the wall when Oliver came around the corner. "Okay Sammy you're up."
"Excuse me?"
"You're up…your turn on the pole."
Sam dropped his chin. There's no way he's serious.
Apparently Oliver could read his friend quite well. "I'm serious; all the other guys have done it."
"Ha!" Sam blurted. "I find it hard to believe that Frank for one has already willingly gone up there." He winked at Andy. "Epstein, even Barber, sure…but Frank? No way."
Andy giggled at the thought of the Sarge up there.
"I'm serious." Oliver insisted. "Frank's a smart man; he lives with the woman for Pete's sake. He knows as well as I do, you don't make a deal with Noelle and back out. Even pregnant, she could kick all of our asses."
Sam didn't doubt that but he did doubt Oliver's sincerity so he simply waited him out…because there was no way in hell he was getting anywhere near a stripper pole, well at least not in front of half the station…an audience of one…well...
"Fine." Oliver cracked. "We made a deal with Noelle."
"What's the deal?" Sam demanded.
"All the guys are off the hook…" he stated, pausing for a second before blurting out the condition as quickly as he could, "ifwecangetyouonthepole".
"What?" Sam was sure he couldn't have heard what he thought he heard.
Oliver cleared his throat. "We're all off the hook if we can get YOU on the pole."
Andy lost it, completely doubling over in laughter.
Oliver glared at her; she wasn't helping his cause. "Come on Sammy you gotta help us out here. No one wants to see me on that pole, and Frank…come on he's going to lose it. He can't get up there, but he doesn't want to pull rank on a pregnant Noelle either."
He looked at Sam with his best puppy dog eyes. "You're our only hope."
Andy finally caught her breath and with it came an idea. "He'll be right out." Andy promised with a scheming twinkle in her eye.
Sam looked at Andy like she was crazy; she had to know that he would never do something like that…ever. Hell, if he wouldn't do karaoke where would she get the idea that he would even consider a stripper pole.
'Trust me' she mouthed as she directed Oliver back to the waiting crowd. "Tell them he'll be right out."
Oliver was grinning. Talk about a win-win. He wouldn't have to get up there and McNally was going to make sure that Sammy did. Swarek on a stripper pole! Good times!
Oliver barely made the corner before inciting the waiting crowd. "Swarek's a go!"
Sam and Andy could hear all the guys cheering and the girls, especially Noelle, Sarah and Zoe could be heard yelling "No Way!" and "I'll believe it when I see it."
Sam on the other hand was still shaking his head as Andy moved to stand in front of him. She steadied his movements with her hands before looking into his eyes and softly pleading with him to do this one thing for her. She wanted him to stay and she knew that if he could pull this off, the girls would have to let him.
The natives were still restless, the ladies with skepticism and the men with anticipation, when Sam came around the corner with a smirk. He locked his gaze on Noelle as he moved forward and her eyebrows shot to the top of her head; never in a million years would she have believed that he would accept the challenge.
Sam put a loose, one hand grip on the pole and walked around it slowly, jiggling it every so often as if testing its integrity. Mouths were dropping in quick succession as he made a complete circle. And when he stopped cold, so did the crowd. Andy came around the corner at that exact moment, as if on cue. "We need music!"
The crowd cheered in response ready to be thoroughly entertained; this was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
As the music started thumping, Sam backed up against the pole but instead of dancing he shot a full dimpled grin to Noelle and Andy sidled up and started moving against him. Sam didn't do a thing but smile and enjoy the view as Andy strutted around him trying to keep it as dance floor appropriate as possible.
The crowd lost it. The men laughed realizing that Swarek had done it again…worked his way around the rules. The women, well three in particular, were sorely disappointed and made their feelings known.
"No way!" Zoe yelled.
"No fair, Sammy!" Noelle argued. "That wasn't the deal."
Sam reluctantly turned his gaze from Andy. "Hey you didn't say I had to be the one doing the dancing. Oliver's exact words were that they had to 'get me on the pole'…well here I am. And thanks by the way." He added with a waggle of his brows and the dimples not far behind.
"Come on, McNally. Where's your loyalty?" Noelle accused.
"I think that's pretty obvious." Sam answered before Andy had a chance to.
"No, Sammy. What's obvious is how much you're enjoying yourself right now." Noelle disputed with a quick nod down.
"What?" Sam yelped out quickly glancing down. When he realized there was nothing to see, he knew he had been had.
"Low Blow."
Noelle just raised her eyebrows in challenge. "That's what you get for ruining all my fun."
"I'm sure if you sweet talk Frank he'll make sure the entire night isn't a bust."
"Watch it Swarek."
"Sorry, boss." Sam replied, but the grin on his face told a different story.
Now Andy was keeping it as PG as possible and it wasn't anything more than you would see at a club on Saturday night, but she was getting a little too close for someone's comfort.
"Alright! Alright! Show's over." Sarah insisted averting her eyes from the dance floor. "I'm not sure I'll ever recover from that."
"You won't." Oliver swore. "And I have enough trouble avoiding it at work; I don't need it here. I still have nightmares about interrogation one." He confessed.
"And the evidence locker." Chris added with a slow nod.
Dov and Traci looked at each other. "Locker room!" They both yelled at the same time.
Sarah shook her head at her brother. "Do I even want to know which one?"
"Who said I had to choose?" Sam wondered chuckling at his sister's apparent shock.
Andy didn't say a word; she just dropped her red face against Sam's chest. She got so caught up in Sam sometimes that she just didn't realize how often their friends had walked in on them. At least it was only making out...okay, maybe Sam was rounding second a few times. They should probably work on that.
Andy felt a tap on her shoulder and was afraid to look up. She was sure it was Oliver with some smart remark about her seemingly renowned love life.
Thankfully it was Terri and Andy took the chance to officially introduce her to Sam. They chatted for a bit before Terri told her she had to get going.
"I'm so glad you could come." Andy affirmed with a hug before she pulled back and dropped her hand to Terri's stomach. "Just make sure and let us know when that baby comes."
"How did you…"
"Please I'm a cop. You think I didn't notice you passing your shots to Gail."
Terri laughed and reached out to shake Sam's hand. "Sam, it was nice to finally meet you. You make an interesting first impression."
Sam chuckled and looked cheekily at Andy. "So does she."
Terri furrowed her brow. "Now that sounds like a story for another time."
Andy grinned as she walked her friend to the door. "Sounds like a plan."
Andy had barely left Sam's side when she was replaced by Oliver. "Now someone get this man a drink." Oliver ordered, holding up his own glass in mock seriousness. "To our brother Sammy, for having our backs and taking one for the team. For manning the pole so that the rest of us may be spared from the wrath that is Noelle Williams and…" He paused for effect. "…and for always, always working for the greater good."
Frank stood to join him. "Serve, Protect, and thank God the image of Epstein on a stripper pole is not forever burned in our memories."
The crowd cheered. "To Sammy!"
The rest of the night passed in a blur and everyone had a great time.
In the end, even Noelle had to admit that while she didn't get the guys on the pole, she was glad they came. She was in such a good mood; she and Frank even offered to drive the Wonder Twins home.
So that left the Shaws, Jerry and Traci, Sam and Andy, and Sarah.
"Okay!" Traci cheered, trying to rouse the group with fake enthusiasm. "Who's going to help me take these poles down and get them in the car?"
Sam was more than ready to offer to take them home for her, hoping they didn't have to be back 'til Monday. But his sister quickly reminded him that not only could he not take them home in a cab, but that she was staying with them all week in preparation for the wedding.
Liam smiled at the exchange between the two siblings; he was getting used to seeing a more fun and relaxed Swarek.
"Just leave them there Traci; I'll take them down in the morning." He offered.
"Really?" Traci confirmed hopefully.
"Yes, Really."
"I think I love you."
Liam laughed at the declaration. "It's fine; you can come pick them up tomorrow. But if you really love me, you'll get Barber out of here. I think he's drooling on my bar."
Traci grinned. "Deal."
Outside Sam and Andy stood arm in arm beside Sarah, watching Traci and Zoe get their men into a shared cab. Just before the door shut, they could hear Oliver spouting off about how Zoe going on a stripper pole must somehow nullify his earlier transgression.
Sam grinned as he pulled Andy closer. "Did you have fun?"
"Of course."
"And you really didn't mind that we crashed your party?"
"Hey I thought you knew by now that I like having you around."
Sam gave her a quick wink. "That's not what you said at the last girls' night."
Andy blushed. "Okay, maybe not that ONE time, but if you ask me, most every night is better if you're there."
"Likewise, McNally."
"You know," she whispered against his chest. "We make a good team you and me."
Sam didn't care that his sister was right there already rolling her eyes at their sentiments or that she would probably tease him relentlessly for being such a sap, but he just couldn't help it.
He reached down with his hand and slowly tipped up Andy's chin so he could look her in the eye and then he offered her a glimpse of the promise he would make official in less than seven days.
"As long as we both shall live."
Hope you liked it!